The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1887-08-11

LILO RI 81
people for whose benefit thew v ene
created. There are various res "ere
for this disappointment; but the OnS
great sourse of it is the fact tb.t nc
too many cases the managers Of th ~
colleges have failed to reach a c,oao
understandings and appreciation Of tSa
peculiar envirohpent and habits nf
thought which chapacterize the Amer
lean farmer. Of p~ecessity, the earle,
teachers in these institutions wara
chosen from among those who had 70,
ceived their intellectual training in tho
classical college. Some of these had
gone from the farm to the COLLEGE anJ
still retained pleasant memories Of
their earlier life and felt the influence
Of rural associations; others remem,
bered the farm only as a place of toll
and CRIME, a tred-mill of endless drnd.
gerry, offering no facilities for intellect.
ual development. In very many cases
men with such views of farm life were
able to exercise the leading influence
in molding the college of agriculture,
They built up the colleges after their
own ideals, and in accord with their
own ambitions-magnifcent schools
they have made them, too-and then
said to the farmer "Come and learn
of us!
These men. however, have omitted
from their calculations some very i'm.
portant factors. One of these is that
the farmers of to-day is, with very few
exceptions, the descendant of an ances
try Of farmers, whose origin antedates
the beginning of history. In his case.
therefore, the natural interest which
every man feels in the a~vocation which
gives him a livelihood is doubly inten.
sifed by heredity. Certainly, if this
subtle force has any existence in ma
ture we should expect to find its man
Hesitation here. Again, the American
farmer is the most independent of
mortals. He generally owns the land
he cultivates, subject only to the priv.
ileges of eminent domain, which are
nowhere exercised less arbitrarily than
here, and upon this land he is a VERT
able prince. He works when he chooses
and as he chooses, driven by the
one necessity of supporting himself
and family, and bowling to no mans
authority. Under such circumstances
it is not strange that the farmers
should have come to look upon the
wage-worker, whether his earnings be
called "wages" or "salary" as of
somewhat lower caste than himself.
Add to this the fact that farming is
universally conceded to be n of the
most healthful of occupations, both
physically and morally, and it is not
to be wondered at that the farmers
should be extremely jealous of every
influence that may tend to lead his
children away from what he firmly
believe to be the most honorable avo-
cation of men.
That the influence of the traditional
classical college has been opposed to
the life of the farm requires no dem.
onstation. If the farmers needs have
been considered at all in the develop
ment of this college, it has only been
with the view of enabling his children
to prepare themselves for some other
calling. ALT !. surprising, then, in view
of the farmers natural prejudices,t that
the very word college, should have
come to have an unfriendly sound IN
his ear? 1t is strange that those col
leges that are ashamed to have the
word agriculture, or any word OF SINH
lar significance appear in their titles,
should be looked upon by farmers with
suspicion and distrust? ItIis, to be
wondered at that colleges whose official
records show that their graduates gen
orally choose some other occupation
than farming should fail to receive
the patronage Of farmers? If father
earnestly wished his o to become a
lawyer, would it be regarded as al
exhibition of common-sense in him 70
send that son to a school of medicine
On the other hand, is it not marvel,
lous that men of great learning anu
unimpeachable honesty. men who un'
Occasionally have the cause OF agrlc1i,
tual education close at heart, shouio
still be found standing in the door,
ways Of institutions, whose policy! Is
directed in harmony with the classical
college or university" crying, why
do not the farmers come to us ID
not this yet more marvellous in view
of the fact that those schools winch